Unique and well-functioning transport system
An efficiently-organised and ever more extensive transport system has been crucial for Norway’s position as one of the world’s largest exporters of natural gas.
An efficiently-organised and ever more extensive transport system has been crucial for Norway’s position as one of the world’s largest exporters of natural gas.
“Our expertise relates to virtually all the activities which collectively form the value chain for Norwegian gas exports. We manage an overall system which incorporates over 30 gas exporters from more than 50 fields.”
Not everyone is aware that the NCS conceals the world’s largest fully integrated pipeline network for transporting natural gas. The system linking producing fields, process plants and terminals represents one of the finest examples of Norwegian engineering skills and creates huge value for the country.
But how is this value actually created?
Managing and coordinating the gas flowing from the offshore fields, via land plants and pipeline systems, to the various terminals occupies a key place in Gassco’s business.
Three large plants in western Norway play a crucial part in ensuring that continental Europe and the UK meet their needs for Norwegian gas. They also create big value for the country through jobs, government revenues, and property taxes paid to their host communities.
Norwegian gas molecules undergo a last check at the terminals in Germany, Belgium, France and the UK before disappearing into the wide-ranging European and British distribution networks.
The terminal positions have not been chosen at random. Through these facilities, Norwegian gas reaches the most important European consumer nations.
What is natural gas? A chemist’s answer would be something along the lines that it is a colourless combustible substance consisting primarily of the hydrocarbon gases methane, ethane, propane, butanes and naphtha, and is normally divided into rich gas, NGLs and dry gas. That is naturally quite correct. However, if you ask a couple of ordinary Europeans who use Norwegian natural gas every single day, you might get a rather different response. Where they are concerned, natural gas is quite simply essential.
A good backup for renewable energy sources is required in the green shift, affirms Storting representative Tina Bru. “Gas is the perfect partner here, and will provide new commercial opportunities in its interaction with renewables. It’s in this interaction that the good solutions are to be found.”